The Complete Namibia Photography Tour & Workshop 2017

The Namibia tour that we dreamed of is now a realityand guess what? You're invited!

The Complete Namibia Photography Tour & Workshop 2017

Namibia is a place of wonder and amazement. Ideally situated between the Kalahari and the South Atlantic, Namibia is one of the youngest countries in Africa. The various cultures, spectacular landscape and wildlife make Namibia a photographer’s dream. This tour gives you 17 days to experience Namibia in her entirety—Complete Namibia!

Forty two percent of Namibia’s land is under wildlife management. While most countries have declining numbers of endangered species, Namibia has increasing populations, even outside of her National Parks. Namibia is home to the most successful community-based conservation through tourism projects in the world, and you can experience this, first hand, in its entirety, in our Complete Namibia Tour & Workshop.

We will travel in a group of just five participants per safari vehicle, with your instructor in the front passenger seat, so everyone gets a window seat, and the roof of our vehicle opens up for unhindered shooting when the situation allows. A second vehicle will be added as necessary, but the maximum group size will be 10, split into two vehicles, with two instructors.

NOTE: This tour is now full. Please consider our 2018 tour or contact us if you’d like to be added to our cancellation list.

Itinerary

June 3 – 19, 2017

Day 1 – Windhoek (June 3)

All guests will arrive and be transported to our lodge in the hills over Windhoek and enjoy our first meal together in beautiful surroundings.

Note: the easiest way to get to Windhoek is to fly to Johannesburg (South Africa) where the group can meet, and take the same flight to Windhoek together. Details will be included in your preparation guidebook.

Day 2 – Keetmanshoop (June 4)

On day two, we take a drive to Keetmanshoop, and visit the Quiver Tree Forest, and hopefully also get a little bit of astrophotography in to photograph the Milky Way with the Quiver Trees.

The following morning we’ll visit the Devil’s Playground, before taking another steady drive over to the coast and the quant town of Luderitz.

Days 3, 4 – Kolmanskop (June 5, 6)

From our base in beautiful seaside town of Luderitz, we’ll make a number of trips spending some quality time in the abandoned diamond mine town of Kolmanskop.

We will also make an excursion to the exclusive Elizabeth Bay, to photograph the deserted houses and other buildings there.

Days 5 to 7 – Sossusvlei (June 7 to 9)

From Luderitz we head to Sossusvlei where we stay inside the national park so that we can get access to Deadvlei at dawn to photograph the iconic Camel-Thorn Trees in silhouette again the red dunes.

We will also have a number of shoots of the surrounding sand dunes during our time in the beautiful Sossusvlei area.

Day 8 – Walvis Bay (June 10)

We break up our journey to Sesfontein with a night in a beautiful colonial lodge at Walvis Bay, where we’ll photograph the flamingoes and pelicans in the bay.

Days 9 to 11 – Sesfontein (June 11 to 13)

From our base in Sesfontein, we’ll visit some Himba settlements. The Himba are a nomadic people who let us into their settlements and share aspects of their culture, giving us ample chances to capture their unique way of life.

Etosha National Park

Days 12, 13 – Ongava (June 14, 15)

From this point, we head into the Etosha National Park and change focus to the majestic wildlife within, including gemsbok, springbok, and hartebeest to ostrich, elephant, rhino, and lion.

Days 14, 15 – Onkoshi (June 16, 17)

We move on to Onkoshi for a further two days in the Etosha National Park, where we’ll stay in thatched roof lodges on elevated wooden decks on the edge of the Etosha Pan.

This location affords us access to more exclusive areas of the park that are beyond the reach of self-drive visitors. Photographic opportunities here include spotted and brown hyena, aardwolf, honey badger, and jackals.

Day 16 – Windhoek (June 18)

After a final shoot in the Etosha National Park, we embark on our last drive back to Windoek, for one last night in our hill top lodge to celebrate a successful tour together.

Day 17 – Windhoek & Departure (June 19)

On our final day we’ll have a little time to photograph in the area before being transported to the airport to complete the tour.

Full disclosure – Although he’s very familiar with the rest of the locations we’ll visit, your host has not yet personally visited the Etosha National Park. We will be in the very good hands of our professional guides, and with Martin’s experience as a wildlife photography, he will continue to be on hand to help you make the most of your time in this incredible location.

Your Host and Instructor

Martin Bailey is a British born, Japan based professional photographer, author, and international photography tour and workshop leader. With more than 30 years of photography experience and ten years running workshops around the globe, including cohosting two previous tours in Namibia, Martin is an excellent choice to join for your Namibia photography adventure.

If we fill two safari vehicles, we will also be joined by a co-host and assistant, who will rotate between vehicles, so there will always be an able instructor in your vehicle to answer any questions that you might have during the tour.

Accommodation

Throughout the tour we stay in some of the best accommodation available in the area for each of our locations. These range from very comfortable to luxurious lodges. Quite often you’ll feel so comfortable and at home, you won’t want to pack up and leave for our next location.

Ground Staff and Transport

We will be met at the airport by two experienced guides who will drive us each day throughout the trip in sturdy Land Rovers. The vehicles have been customized to enable us to open and raise the roof section, so that we can shoot out of the top of the vehicle when appropriate.

The use of these off-road vehicles also allows us to access some areas that would otherwise require us to wait for and change to another shuttle vehicle, and therefore not be able to maximize our time in Namibia, and would even result in us not getting to some time critical locations in time for the natural phenomenon that make them so special.

Who Is This Tour For?

Anyone with a love for culture, landscape and wildlife photography, and an adventurous spirit

Anyone that wants to improve their photography while shooting the photographs of a lifetime

General tuition assumes a basic understanding of photography and your equipment, but Photographers of all skill levels are very welcome

What Should I Bring?

You’ll need at least one SLR or mirroless camera, ideally two to give you the opportunity to shoot with multiple lenses simultaneously, and also as a backup

Lenses from wide angle up around 400mm (or the 35mm equivalent)

A sturdy tripod and cable release, and a polarizer and neutral density filters also broaden your horizons

A more detailed list including clothing etc. is included in the tour guidebook that you’ll receive after signing up

What is Included in the Package?

Airport pickup and dropoff at Windhoek, Namibia

All accommodation during your tour

All meals are included except the evening meal on June 5, 6 and 10, when you will have your choice from the hotel menu

A professional guide and driver to transport us safely around Namibia for the entire trip

Admission fees to planned facilities and excursions

What is Not Included in the Package?

Your flight and any other travel costs to Windhoek Airport and back home again after the tour

Any hotels while traveling prior to or following the tour (although our travel partners can help you with booking any additional hotels during transit before and/or after the tour, at your expense)

Beverages at some lodges and additional items ordered during meals

Entrance fees for any unplanned activities for which the opportunity may arise – you would be made aware of any additional costs before engagin in any such activity

The cost of any vaccinations that you require to safely attend this tour

Insurance

We require that you take out comprehensive travel, medical, cancellation, curtailment and default insurance for the duration of this tour. Some travel insurance companies require that you buy insurance no later than 7 to 14 days after paying your deposit. If you wait longer, some companies may enforce stricter conditions, so do not delay in contacting an insurance company. To buy online, try companies like www.travelexinsurance.com, www.worldnomads.com or www.insuremytrip.com.

Comprehensive Guidebook

After you book, you will be provided with a tour guidebook to help you prepare for your Namibia adventure, including your itinerary and a recommended packing list, both for clothing etc. and your camera gear, as well as a wealth of information about Namibia.

We pride ourselves on the quality and comprehensive nature of our guidebooks, as we believe a deeper understanding of the country you will visit helps you to maximize your enjoyment of the experience and your productivity as a photographer.

Cost & Reservation

The cost for this 17 day tour and workshop is $8,900 per person, based on a shared room. If you will travel alone and require a room to yourself, a single supplement of $1,000 will also be payable.

Group Size and Booking Considerations

We have two options for group size. The first option is just one safari vehicle with five participants + one instructor, and if we get five more people sign up, we’ll run a second vehicle with another instructor. We will rotate instructors and/or participants daily in this case.

Each group will be notified as and when your vehicle fills and bookings are confirmed.

Payment Schedule

The payment for this trip is split into 3 installments, due as follows:

The first booking deposit to reserve your place is $1,000

A second deposit of $1,800 is due within 7 days of us confirming your place

Your balance payment is due by March 3, 2017

Requests to Share

If you request to share with another participant if someone else wants a shared room, we can try to pair you with someone of the same gender, but if this is not possible, you will be required to pay a single supplement. Cancelling your reservation if we cannot match you with another participant will incur full cancellation fees as outlined below.

Cancellation Policy

As outlined above, the booking deposit may be refunded by Martin Bailey Photography K.K. if participant numbers are not reached by July 15, 2016

After your group has been confirmed, the two deposits are non-refundable *

If you cancel between 70 to 36 days prior to date of departure you will forfeit 50% of your total trip cost, including any applicable single supplement *

If you cancel within 35 days of the date of departure, you will forfeit 100% of the tour cost. Where the full cost of the tour has not yet been paid, it will be immediately payable on cancellation

* Note that if you cancel up to 36 days before the start of the tour and we are able to backfill your place, we may refund recoverable costs at our discretion.

Payment Options

To book your place, click on the Booking Deposit button below, and proceed through our checkout process. You may pay online by credit card or PayPal. Credit card payments are also processed by PayPal. You just need to select Pay by Credit Card after jumping to PayPal, rather than entering or creating a PayPal account. To pay via PayPal, just login and authorize the payment.

The second deposit, final balance and single supplement payments may also be paid via direct bank transfer if you prefer. There is an option to change your payment method before processing payment.

Payment Buttons

Once your tour has been confirmed, use the Second Deposit button to pay your second deposit by July 30, 2016.

The final balance payment is due no later than March 3, 2017. For single room use, the single supplement will be included in your balance payment. If you are sharing a room, please select the Double / Shared Room option.

NOTE: This tour is now full. Please consider our 2018 tour or contact us if you’d like to be added to our cancellation list.